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in his Air Force Band commission Wild Blue Yonder or translating the heartache and anguish of losing his infant daughter in his Third Symphony, Barnes is at his best when conveying emotions. “Jim writes with his heart and soul, and doesn’t let the craft of composition interfere with the compelling, engaging story that must be told,” says Roland Barrett, a composer and professor of music at the University of Oklahoma. As his opus number crosses 135, Barnes takes on two commissions a year along with his teaching responsibilities. He most recently completed a euphonium concerto, and the KU Wind Ensemble performed his latest symphony, the sixth, in March. Over the years, Barnes has crossed paths with pioneers of the American musical landscape. He took a lesson from Aaron Copland when he visited the KU campus, and on the way back to the airport, Copland insisted that Barnes drive him by the “Big House,” the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth. Torrential rains accompanied the side trip, which made crossing one bridge a suddenly precarious adventure. “I almost drowned Aaron Copland!” says Barnes, reflecting on what could have been his dubious musical legacy. Barnes also greatly admired Vincent Persichetti, one of America’s finest symphonists and wind band icons who would occasionally stop in Lawrence en route to Philadelphia, such as once when he was returning from a concert in New Mexico with a treasure in his car trunk. “His hobby was he collected turtles,” Barnes recalls. “I said, ‘How are things going? Have you found any great turtles lately?’ He says, ‘You won’t believe this.’ He takes me out to the car in the parking lot west of Murphy Hall. I go out there and he opens up the trunk. He’s got all this luggage in the back seat of the car, and on the bottom of the trunk he’s got hay and stuff. There was a box turtle down there, a huge box turtle he found on the side of the road down in Texas someplace. And he was taking it back to Philadelphia.” In the course of a spirited conversation, Barnes can tack on more stories about his youth in small-town Oklahoma, baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams’ fishing prowess and the blazing speed of former KU running back Laverne Smith. But beyond the biting wit and first-rate storytelling, Barnes is a man quick to impart no-nonsense wisdom on his students. “I always tell my students that there’s only two types of music: There’s the kind that has integrity,” he says, “and then there’s the rest. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s bluegrass, or whether it’s classical or serious music or jazz or whatever. Music with integrity is a rare thing.” •
54 Lawrence Magazine
An annotated Barnes guide to Barnes If you haven’t heard much or any of James Barnes’ musical work, where should you begin? For that answer, we asked Barnes to list five of his favorite and most frequently performed musical compositions. Writer Alex Hoffman provides commentary on each piece. Fantasy Variations on a Theme by Niccolo Paganini – Barnes wrote the sketches for this 16-minute U.S. Marine Band commission in one week. It remains the ideal showpiece. Available as an MP3 through iTunes Featured on the CD Fantasy Variations – James Barnes, Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra Symphonic Overture – Commissioned by the United States Air Force Band, this concert overture seems more amazing because it is essentially a rewrite. According to liner notes, Barnes didn’t like the direction the piece was going, threw everything away and started over. Thankfully, this is the result, and the delightful main theme is undeniably Barnesian. Available as an MP3 through iTunes Featured on the CD 2006 Midwest Clinic: The United States Air Force Band; Legend – James Barnes, Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra Symphony No. 3 – This symphony is arguably Barnes’ magnum opus, written in a self-confessed blur after the sudden death of his infant daughter Natalie. Angry, bitter, poignant and joyful music in a span of nearly 40 minutes, the third movement is a stirring musical representation of what life would have been like had Natalie lived. Essential. Available as an MP3 through iTunes Featured on the CD Excursions – Lt. Col. Lowell Graham, U.S. Air Force Band; James Barnes: Symphonies Symphony No. 5 (“Phoenix”) – This large-scale work, written for the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force Band for its 50th anniversary, is similar to his Third Symphony in structure only. Cast in the same four movements of slow-fast-slow-fast tempo, it differs considerably in character. After a brooding opening movement that may bear some resemblance to works by Shostakovich, the mood lightens with a brisk, playful scherzo, a dreamlike adagio and a rousing finale so often associated with Barnes’ works. Available as an MP3 through iTunes Featured on the CD James Barnes: Symphonies Yorkshire Ballad – Composed after a visit to the Yorkshire Dales in England, this unassuming four-minute piece, according to Barnes, recently was named one of the 50 most-performed works among school bands in the United States. Perhaps its popularity lies in the melody’s straightforward brilliance. The tune is original, yet it could easily find itself in the pages of an English folk-song book. Featured on the CD Pagan Dances – James Barnes, Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra